The present invention relates to a fluid control valve and, more particularly, to a fluid control valve having a trigger mechanism internal to a fluid conduit. A particular application for such a valve is for the control of liquid flow to a spray-type vacuum cleaner nozzle.
Known arrangements of fluid control valves include devices having a control element which protrudes from the valve itself for actuation by a user. A device of this type is shown in FIG. 7 of Canadian Patent 1,087,814. In this arrangement, liquid is conducted through a hose element which is controlled by a valve having a protruding pushbutton 76 at the end of a pushrod 77. This valve also includes a displacement of the liquid path from input to output causing the overall valve height to be rather substantial, making the valve control difficult to handle by the user. The location of pushbutton 76 also does not easily accommodate the human hand.
Another type of valve which is commercially available includes a fluid control element which is placed internal to a fluid conduit. In this type of arrangement, the end of an elongated lever within the conduit must be moved a considerable distance to cause a valve closing element to be displaced from a valve seat in order to have flow of fluid through the valve Such valves have been used in spray guns but have limited application in other environments requiring a relatively small movement of a hand-controlled trigger mechanism for controlling fluid flow.